Ace Hotel, Portland, Oregon

$$$$

Concierge.com's insider take:

The Ace Hotel is ground zero for Portland's hipsters: You'll find turntables and vinyl in the rooms, art by local artists painted right on the walls, old army lockers propping up desks, and myriad other vintage accents throughout. The public spaces are almost dauntingly cool: The dark-wood lobby is full of tech types in small glasses working on their Macs, and the business center is lined with design mags and literary publications like The Believer. But before you rush to book your room, it's worth remembering that the Ace considers itself a budget hotel. Although long on style, it can be short on creature comforts. The 79 rooms have plain (but comfy) blankets by famous local wool company Pendleton, clip-on utility lamps for reading lights, shower stalls and sinks often located right in the room itself, and seriously basic toiletries. If you're dying to see what all the fuss is about, spring for one of the deluxe rooms, which have more conventional bathrooms, flat-screen TVs, and are considerably more spacious. And if sleep is important to you, ask for a quiet room off the street. Additional bonuses: Stumptown Coffee Roasters in the adjoining lobby serves the city's best coffee. Clyde Common, one of Portland's most buzzy new bars and restaurants, is right downstairs, and Powell's City of Books is just a block away.